WJPA Sports

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Graham Ike scored 19 points and third-seeded Gonzaga held off tenacious No. 14 seed Kennesaw State 73-64 in a defensive battle that ended with some drama in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Davis Fogle added 17 points for the Bulldogs, who will face No. 11 seed Texas Saturday in the West Region. RJ Johnson and Amir Taylor each had 15 points for Kennesaw State, which made its second March Madness appearance after winning the Conference USA Tournament. The Owls capitalized on a series of fouls by the Bulldogs to make it close late, and Gonzaga coach Mark Few was enraged by some of the calls.

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — North Carolina blew a 19-point lead to fall in overtime to VCU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. It marked a second straight loss for the blueblood program in the tournament’s first round under Hubert Davis. UNC reached the NCAA title game in Davis’ first season in 2022. But the Tar Heels have reached the round of 32 only once in the four seasons since. This year’s UNC team was derailed by a season-ending injury to NBA prospect Caleb Wilson.

MIAMI (AP) — LeBron James started for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Miami Heat, making it the 1,611th regular-season game of his career and tying Robert Parish’s all-time NBA mark. Parish held the record for nearly 30 years. He has now been caught by James, someone who now has yet another record on what seems like an endless resume of accomplishment within the game. James is also the NBA leader in, among many categories, points, seasons played, All-NBA nods and All-Star selections.

CHICAGO (AP) — Alex Bregman is hoping to lead the Chicago Cubs to their first NL Central title since 2020 after signing a $175 million, five-year contract with the North Siders in free agency. But the competition is tough in a division that put three teams in the playoffs last year. Cincinnati added a familiar face when it signed Eugenio Suárez to a $15 million, one-year deal. The 34-year-old slugger played for the Reds for seven seasons before he was traded to Seattle in March 2022. The Milwaukee Brewers are the reigning Central champions, and the Pittsburgh Pirates are much improved after acquiring Brandon Lowe in a trade and signing Ryan O’Hearn to a two-year contract.